Hope Summer Repertory Theatre is excited to announce the opening of its third production this season, Three Viewings.
Opening Friday, June 30, staged in the intimate setting of Snow Auditorium, and expertly executed, this production promises to be an engrossing glimpse into the human condition.
Written by Jeffrey Hatcher, this play allows us to view a single event we will all experience through the eyes of three very different individuals. First, there is Emil, the conservative funeral director in love with Tessie, a real estate agent he allows entry to his funerals so that she may network. The second character we encounter is a hard-living, woman, Mac, with a penchant for robbing the corpses of the recently deceased. Our final encounter is with the 60-something Virginia, who upon her husband's death is confronted with the harsh reality of his massive debts she can never hope to repay, and mysterious comments about a list she knows nothing about.
The cast of Three Viewings is a concentrated force of exemplary acting. The role of Emil is played by Equity Artist David Colacci, who is joining HSRT for his fifteenth season, and for his ninth season in the capacity of Artistic Director. Colacci's past HSRT performance credits include Billy in Billy Bishop goes to War, and Oscar in The Odd Couple. Equity Artist Susan Ericksen, returning for her twelfth season, is playing the role of Mac. Susan's past HSRT performance credits include Marge in Suds, and Mabel in Chaps. Returning to HSRT for her seventh season, Jean Reed Bahle is playing the role of Virginia. A theatre professor at Hope College, Bahle has appeared in countless West Michigan productions, and HSRT audiences will will remember her from past performances as Kate in Sylvia, and Amanda in The Glass Menagerie.
Returning to HSRT for her eighth season is director Daina Robins. Her past HSRT directing credits include Twelve Angry Men, and during the past academic year she staged Electra and Nathan the Wise for the Hope College Theatre Department.
The scenic designer for Three Viewings is Steve Johnson, lighting design is by Paul Whitaker, and Melissa McVay is the costume designer.
This amazing production opens June 30th, with performances July 1, 5, 7, 10, 11, 15, 18, 19, 20, 21 and 22. Given the limited run of this show, we encourage our patrons to acquire tickets quickly. While at the box office, be sure to reserve tickets for the other great HSRT productions this summer, including Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, some scathing comedy in Tartuffe, a bit of gothic intrigue and humor in The Mystery of Irma Vep, and some time with an old friend in You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. You will also want to be sure and reserve your place at the cabaret-style GI Jive featuring songs from the WWII era, as well as our two children's productions, The Story of Ferdinand and The Enchanted Pig.
Tickets are available now. The ticket office is located in the DeWitt Center, on the Hope College Campus at the corner of 12th Street and Columbia Avenue. Prices range from $8-$22 for musicals, and $6-$17 for plays, with discount prices for children 12 and under. Season coupons, ranging from $37-$66, are also available. Ticket office hours are 10-5 Monday through Friday, 12-5 on Saturday, and one hour before all showtimes. Tickets can also be purchased by calling (616) 395 - 7890.